"I always set lofty ambitions for myself and team. Frequent failure goes hand in hand with that approach."

When you have the opportunity to ask some of the most interesting people in the world about their lives, sometimes the most fascinating answers come from the simplest questions. The Thrive Questionnaire is an ongoing series that gives an intimate look inside the lives of some of the world’s most successful people.

Thrive Global: What’s the first thing you do when you get out of bed? David Snider: Head to a Barry’s Bootcamp class or a tennis court.

TG: What gives you energy?DS: Working and interacting with great people. Whether it’s working with team member to solve a problem, finding a great candidate to fill an open role at Harness Wealth or making an introduction that positively impacts someone’s life.

TG: What’s a daily habit or practice that helps you thrive?DS: Leaving the office each day with a clean desk and a sense that I have answered all emails or requests where I might be a bottleneck to my team.

TG: Name a book that changed your life. DS: Drive by Daniel Pink. I read it during business school and it helped me to clarify what career path would enable me to thrive.

TG: Tell us about your relationship with your phone. Does it sleep with you?DS: It does serve as my alarm clock though I try extremely hard not to look at it once I have gone to bed. When I can’t sleep I default to my Kindle.

TG: How do you deal with email?DS: I use my inbox as an extension of my to do list. I try to clear out as many things as possible based on priorities, and leave those that require a more thoughtful reply.

TG: You unexpectedly find 15 minutes in your day, what do you do with it?DS: I will call my wife to see how her day is going.

TG: When was the last time you felt burned out and why?DS: One of the worst feelings for me is when I sense that I do not have time to complete all the things I need to in order to meet expectations I have set. I have gotten better at triage to mitigate this. There were certainly a few days like that in the beginning at Harness Wealth.

TG: When was the last time you felt you failed and how did you overcome it?DS:I always set lofty ambitions for myself and team. Frequent failure goes hand in hand with that approach. I attempt to always be forward looking, avoid historical second guessing and take the best path available today.

TG: Share a quote that you love and that gives you strength or peace?DS: “Some men see things as they are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were, and ask why not.” — Robert Kennedy (paraphrasing George Bernard Shaw)

David is the Founder & CEO of Harness Wealth, an WealthTech company with a mission of helping people reach their best financial future. Previously, David was the COO & CFO of Compass and an investor at Bain Capital.

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The Thrive Questionnaire With Wendi Murdoch

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“People look for retreats for themselves, in the country, by the coast, or in the hills . . . There is nowhere that a person can find a more peaceful and trouble-free retreat than in his own mind. . . . So constantly give yourself this retreat, and renew yourself.”